Nicole Tomlinson
Sun
Eighteen months ago the washrooms at Burnaby‘s Brentwood Town Centre got a million-dollar facelift.
Today, they have earned national fame. They’ve been named B.C.’s best in a national competition run by The Powder Room, an organization for people with overactive bladders.
The group rated 260 public washrooms nominated through a website.
One washroom in each province was awarded a seal of approval based on a rating program of factors such as accessibility, cleanliness and overall decor, as well as user comments.
At the Burnaby mall, the women’s washrooms are softly lit and fully automated, with deep shelves in each stall to stow shopping bags and elevated basins with high, shiny faucets.
But it was the “extremely relaxing” mothers’ room that really pushed Brentwood‘s amenities ahead of the pack, said Karen Boudreau, the mall’s marketing director.
Sunny yellow walls, black leather chairs, a microwave oven, a high-ceiling skylight and children’s toys make the area feel more like a family room.
“A lot of women with babies also have toddlers, so [the other child] can play while she’s nursing,” Boudreau said.
“When women have to nurse in a [normal] washroom, there are always people coming in. There can also be sanitary issues.”
At Brentwood, the usual lavatory amenities — a sink, change table and two toilets, one much closer to the floor than the other — are hidden behind a second door.
Boudreau said making shoppers comfortable when nature calls is just good business.
“The more relaxed they are, the longer they’ll stay and the more money they’ll spend,” she said.
Shoppers agree that a little bathroom bliss can go a long way.
“The last thing you want is a dirty washroom,” said Colin Robertson, who was visiting Vancouver from Scotland.
“[The Brentwood bathrooms] are nice and clean, they have nice tiles … better than the ones in Scotland.”
The facilities are checked every 20 minutes by food court staff for cleanliness, and thoroughly scrubbed each night after the mall closes.
“The bathrooms are nice, except sometimes the water splashes too much,” said Eleonora Vevacqua, a washroom attendant at Brentwood.
“I’m proud [of winning the award]. At least we know we’re doing a good job.”
MMC International came up with the design that won for Brentwood. The company that runs it, 20 Vic Management, was also in charge of washroom renovations at the other mall that was named a province’s best: Yorkdale Shopping Centre in North York, Ont.
Almost miraculously, two service station washrooms were named best in their provinces: Aldersyde Petro Canada in Aldersyde, Alta., and Lincoln Irving Big Stop, Oromocto, N.B.
The survey is intended to raise awareness of overactive bladder, a chronic condition that causes the urge to urinate even when the bladder isn’t full, The Powder Room said.
The condition can be a side effect of some medications. Pregnancy, obesity and menopause can also cause overactive bladder.
A complete map of user-rated Canadian restrooms can be found on the organization’s website, www.powderroom.ca.
© The Vancouver Sun 2008